Used To
by Rhaella Valysar
Summary: After being sent to prison for trying to steal the Diamond Gardenia, Crider finally receives a visitor - the person he least expected to see there. The only girl who had been always able to make him green with envy; the girl that will make him realize many things if he allows her. The Princess and the Popstar's Keira/Crider, Please Read & Review!


**Used To **

_By **Shadowgirl416**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

This one-shot is actually CleoCorinne's birthday present, so this is entirely dedicated to her. She's a huge Keira and Crider shipper, so here it goes.

Like always, if there are grammar mistake - try to turn a blind eye on them. I really do my best.

Enjoy!

* * *

_*We used to have this figured out; we used to breathe without a doubt._

_When nights were clear, you were the first star that I'd see._

_We used to have this under control; we never thought we used to know._

_At least there's you and at least there's me._

_Can we get this back, can we get this back to how we used to be?*_

-Used To from Daughtry.

* * *

His life could not possibly get any worse. His dreams were crushed, his plans destroyed and his future had been changed. He was going to be locked up in here forever, with no hope of getting out. And he thought his old life was miserable, now he realized there was nothing worse than prison.

Horrible food, lonely yet noisy cold nights, no hot-tubs or Jacuzzis, no privacy, and of course the absolute boredom that stuffed every single day he spent here. Not to mention the horrible bright orange jumpsuits with a bold back badge that had '4857' on the back he was forced to wear all the time. These guys in prison didn't even have the least sense of fashion. Not that that would make him like them anyway, they were all jerks. Men that were supposed to be his 'comrades' didn't waste a chance to make fun of him. And guards were included as well.

Alone, horrendously dressed, neglected and possibly a bit skinnier - Crider's life had become simply pointless. What was left for him in this life? He was condemned to spend the rest of his days in this hell. And there was nothing he could do to change that.

And yet, he still recalled when he used to think that his life sucked. Just a couple of weeks ago he was Keira's manager, not exactly living his dream life but he had to admit it wasn't that bad. He was free to do what he wanted; he was literary working along with one of the world's biggest stars! Organizing and planning everything that helped her become famous, he was the one in charge of that. He had money, a job he enjoyed doing, he had a 'helper' that was as mindless as a animal, he was called 'Crider' like he liked and not 'Mister Seymour' or '4857' like they knew him in here, he had a very successful career and a very high reputation – and he had thrown that away just because he decided to listen to that egocentric part of him.

Now look where he was, in jail, hungry, dirty, a bit scared, and even lonesome. How he wished he had a time machine, just so he could undo what he did to get here and go back to being Keira's manager. Keira… now that was another thing he hated to admit he missed.

"4857!" The guard's husky, deep and loud shout pulled Crider from his thoughts. He blinked several times before standing up from the thin mattress attached to the wall by only two chains at each end. He sighed, what could they possibly want now. To his surprise, he didn't even have to answer the tall man to know why he had called him. "You have a visitor."

And that took him by surprise; a visitor? Who would come here to visit him, he figured that after what he did everyone hated him. He almost destroyed a whole kingdom!

His eyebrow cocked, "A visitor?" The guard nodded, taking the handcuffs that hanged from his belt to proceed. But Crider couldn't fight the urge to know who it was. What if it was a reporter or paparazzi that had infiltrated to post articles and embarrassing news about him being in jail? His reputation was already on the floor, what else did they want from him? "Who is it?" He asked as he walked closer to the gates so the guard could place the handcuffs on him.

But the man didn't respond, he just proceeded to open the gates and brusquely grabbing him by the arm. There was usually no silence once you were walked through that hall full of inmates, you weren't even able to hear your own thoughts with all the yelling and whistling that would come up. It wasn't mocking, but more of a tradition in these places. However this time, Crider didn't even bother to frown – he just stared at the floor drowning in his own thoughts… who could it be?

His mother? His father? Rupert? Limburger? Who else would bother to visit with possibly good reasons? Because if this person had come to make fun of him, that left the rest of the world as an option.

And before he knew it he was there – the visiting area. He'd only seen this place a couple of times, he had only been there for almost a month and this was his first visitor ever. And Crider felt a wave of relief when he saw that this visiting area separated him and whoever was his visitor with thick glass. He and his visitor would sit facing each other as they talked by phone. There was no opening in the glass partition, and there was obviously no touching or exchange of anything permitted between the two sides. So, if that 'visitor' was someone he didn't wish to talk to then he could simply turn away – and not pick the phone. However, even as Crider was expecting for the guard to drop him there, the tall man kept walking towards another room. The other room for visitors, the one that didn't had any type of glass in between. The one that contained only a table with a pair of chairs. Now he was getting annoyed.

And right in front of the door, the guard stopped and undid his handcuffs to move his hands to the front and lock them again. Crider looked at the door, half of it was made entirely by clear glass – if he was in trouble they would get him out immediately. And just as he spotted three figures entering the room through the door on the other side he was again cut out from his own thoughts by the deep voice of the guard. "She said she trusts you and that she wanted to be alone with you, but don't push your luck 'cause I'll be watching."

With a puzzled look in his eyes Crider raised an eyebrow, "Wait? Who?"

And with that, the guard opened the door and shoved him in. Confused, Crider looked back only to hear the guard locking the door. A loud sigh escaped his lips again, and he noticed there was a large window located on one side of the room from where several guards were keeping everything under surveillance. The he turned to where the small table was – where his visitor was supposed to be.

And this moment happened in slow-motion, first thing he noticed was that in fact his visitor was a 'she' – he saw the small and delicate figure sitting across the room. And when his eyes finally picked everything, he froze – first disbelief crammed his head, but it instantly turned to shock and indignation.

She was probably here to rub things in his face, he was not letting her step on him like that – he had to go right now! But even when he frowned at her, his legs dragged him until he was finally sitting in front of her, "Keira." he spat. How did she even dare to come? She was probably the last person he wanted to see! That spoiled brat!

Despite his predictable response, the girl smiled and replied with a sassy tone. "Seymour."

He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, now it was a fact that she had come to mock

him. "Do not call me Seymour, I think I've told you that a _couple_ of times." She giggled, even when she noticed he was mad and irritable it was just relieving to see he hadn't changed. Her eyes scrolling up and down on him, she had to admit that even when orange wasn't his color he looked good in that jumpsuit.

Crider couldn't figure out why, but he just couldn't face her. His eyes dropped and glued to the surface of the table. Her gaze burning on his head. "What do you want?" he asked, again with an air of anger.

"I just wanted to see how you are doing-"

"I'm doing fine, thanks for stopping by. Now go." He cut her off, and his tone didn't change. Keira felt somehow offended that he was treating her this way; she just came here to see if he was okay. He looked different; he hadn't even looked at her since he came in. He looked almost… ashamed.

Keira scowled, this was certainly not the way she had thought of this moment. "Crider?" She called in a more soft tone. But she didn't know what to ask next; a 'What's wrong?' wouldn't be nice in this situation – he was in jail, _everything_ was wrong. But this wasn't the original Crider; he was proud and arrogant always feeling superior to anyone. Yet, there he was looking down and asking her to leave without even having a reason.

How did she dare to come? She was here to laugh at him, to make fun of his failed attempt to become a star again – or to mention when she dressed him in that blue dress that made his plan go downfall.

"I'm just here to talk…" She added, her soothing voice making him feel a bit more reassured. And she felt weird thinking about what she was about to say, but since they were there to talk then she might as well spit it out. So, hoping that with the corner of his eye he could see, she offered him a light smile. "I miss my manager."

His brown eyes finally met her dark blue ones, and he chuckled. Now that was something he thought he would never hear her say. At least he wouldn't feel so cheesy for admitting it too. "Well, Keira…" he sighed, taking a pause and thinking twice it before he said it, "Believe it or not, I miss you too."

The girl grinned, that felt twice as good as she thought it would – surprise in the back of her head, she never thought he would say that to her. "It sounds weird when you say that."

Crider straightened his back, he didn't cross his arms on top of his chest because the cuffs made it uncomfortable but he still raised an eyebrow. "It sounded weird when you said it too."

Keira laughed, and his heart skipped a beat – he had never heard her laugh before, not like she just did. "It did!" She said as she pulled the chair closer, placing her elbows on top of the table to support her head with her hands. Leaning to talk more directly to him. "But I really mean it," She continued, "It has been horrible to keep this tour going without a manager."

Crider snorted when she said that. He could have sworn she had hired a new manager the day he was thrown into this hole. "There are lots of people who would be willing to kill just to work with you, Keira." Said the brown haired man, a smirk creeping onto his face as he continued, "No one will be as good as me, though." And the girl laughed again, and it was right then that she realized that she had missed this greedy man more than she thought. "Why haven't you hired someone else?"

Keira shrugged, the answer was simple really. And it maybe had more meaning than she wanted to accept. "Because **you** are my manager."

And now it was Crider's turn to laugh, it was almost stupid to think that she said that. It was obvious that he wasn't getting out of there soon; he assumed Keira was smart enough to figure that out. "I don't know if you have noticed, Keira. But I'm in jail."

"So? You're getting out someday."

Crider was supposed to nod; it was true, he was going to get out someday – _someday_. That someday could be right around the corner, or some months away or some years away… As much as he hated to admit it, and as much as he liked being flattered and appreciated like that, he couldn't let her do that. "Look, I know I'm a big catch and all but are you really going to put your career at pause until then?"

Keira looked down to think, it was a good remark what Crider had just said. If she waited for him to get out her career could end in less than a month. She couldn't afford that now that she was at the peak of her calling. Without a manager she wouldn't be able to do absolutely nothing; she needed his help to do everything, he was the one who knew how to do everything! No tours, no interviews, and no media hype – she would be stuck with Limburger and acoustic songs that no one would ever hear. But she was being completely honest, Seymour Crider was her manager and that was the way it was going to stay. Then she looked up again, saw the metal cuffs bonding his hands, saw the orange jumpsuit he was wearing, and finally Keira saw his face. His expression was one new to her; he wasn't smirking, he wasn't grinning, and his eyebrows were twisted in a way she had never seen on him – he was concerned. Baffled, she just stared at him. It was like if another man was using Crider's body, like if this was an unknown person to her.

And he didn't know what had gotten into him neither. Since when did he care about what happened to her carrier? A few weeks ago he was trying to abandon her to purse his dreams by stealing the Diamond Gardenia. And now he was there trying to convince her to hire another person to do _his_ job? God, he felt weird today!

Suddenly a wave of heat ran through his body, a small and delicate hand now rested on top of his own. He never thought he would be able to know how her hands were nor to see her smile so genuinely.

"I don't want a new manager," She said, shaking her head while looking into his eyes. "Even if I have to come here everyday just to work with you, I want you to stay as my manager."

Crider sighed; if he didn't have those handcuffs on he would have taken her hand in his by now. The girl he thought of being a brat and selfish little horror had become the sweetest human being he had ever met until now. She was even willing to visit him everyday just to make him work as her manager. And to think he had spent all that time hating her. Or perhaps thinking that he hated her just to hide his real feelings… Unexpectedly, a new face he spotted through the window with the corner of his eye caught his attention. A blond young boy, a very familiar blond young boy.

Breaking their eye contact, he turned his head to identify this young man.

Ah! Now he remembered! He was that guy that was with Keira and the Princess when they came to stop him from stealing the Diamond Gardenia!But, what was he doing here?

And when he turned to see Keira again everything made sense, no wonder that boy had helped her that time – he was escorting her, accompanying her. That was a month ago, so if there were still together now that meant they had something…

Crider's mood changed from out of the blue, he moved his hands so Keira would remove hers – and his expression returned to the usual one. His face changed, proud and overconfident, his back straight. Keira raised an eyebrow, confused. "I still think you should hire someone else."

The girl shook her head, "I already told you I don't want a new manager."

And Crider grunted; she was so obstinate! He hated that she wasn't even considering his advice, he just wanted the best for her – he honestly always did. That's why he didn't care to leave her when he decided to steal that magical diamond plant to return to his life of fame, he knew she could find someone better than him. Someone who could put her first in everything, someone who didn't thought of their selves first when she needed something, someone who would flatter her performances even when sounding exaggerated – just like he had always done. Perhaps that man was that person, the youthful and good-looking boy that would take his place and would erase him from her life. And perhaps, if he wanted her to be truly happy, he would have to push her into seeing what he saw as the right thing to do. "I bet the boy who brought you here would be delighted to be your manager."

Keira softly grumbled, "Who?" And she turned her head to see for sure if he was talking about who she thought, "Liam? He doesn't know a thing about music."

Crider rolled his eyes, looking at Keira and smirking. "Trust me Keira; if you give him the job offer he'll be willing to learn."

That smile he gave her when he finished his statement… it was familiar. The same smile he used to put on when he was trying to make her understand something that had to do with her. Like when she didn't want to wear the purple wig Limburger sent her. She was just getting started in this whole music business and Limburger ordered her to wear it, she thought it was hideous and after having an argument with Crider he gave her that same smirk. Saying that she was going to be a unique star with a unique look, and that the purple would bring out the blue from her eyes – after that, she learned to trust him and now she barely took off the purple wig. Putting together every 'hint' he had given her in the last moments, she finally figured out what he really mean when he brought Liam into this conversation. "Oh my God," She gasped, almost laughing, "You think he likes me."

Crider's expression didn't changed; he once again rolled his brown eyes – Keira almost felt like if this that she had just mentioned bothered him. "I saw him that night you and your friend the Princess came to spoil my master plan."

With a look of incredulity, the purple haired girl frowned a bit. She couldn't believe her conversation with Crider had ended up with Liam! "He has a thing with Tori, not me. He was with me because he thought I was her."

"Yeah, right." He quickly muttered, "And he came with you to visit a prisoner because he dislikes you and thinks you're repulsive."

Those were the most sarcastic things she had **ever** heard him say. No being sure of what to think, Keira just crossed her arms on top of her chest. "Why would you care anyway?"

Crider now realized he was making her feel mad, and maybe she wasn't really getting his message. He just wanted to her to make that Liam boy her new manager so she could be happy. And so she wouldn't be coming here every now and then to visit him and remind him how much he really missed her. "I'm just saying-"

But even when he had started to try to fix what he had started, Keira cut him off. Her voice noticeably louder than before, and even a bit angry. "You don't have to choose who I date or who I work with."

Crider's eyes bulged out, he knew her better than anyone. After all those years of working with her he knew how angry she could get if he messed with her. He tried to reason with her by cutting her off with a more subtle tone of voice. "Keira, I'm just-"

"Liam and Tori are dating!"

Seymour's efforts were useless; by now Keira had interrupted him once again and she even stood up from her chair to point at the window on their side. He followed her index finger and saw again the several guards staring at him through the glass, but to his surprise right beside them were a pair of blondes. And he instantly recognized them, the girl was Princess Victoria and the boy was Liam and they were… holding hands and talking very close to each other.

Ups.

He looked at Keira again; she had crossed her arms on top of her chest again and she continued to rant. "And even if you could choose someone for me, what do you know? You don't even care about me, how can you know it he is good for me or not -"

He was almost speechless; he didn't know that would make her react this way. If he had known their visit was going to end up like this then he would have stayed quiet. Keira didn't have a lot of patience, and right now he seemed to have wasted the little scrap she had left. "You are changing the subject; I never said anything about him and you."

And she glared at him, "Yes you did!" She shouted, leaning closer – like a little child would do when he or she would try to prove you wrong, the only thing she wasn't doing was sticking her tongue out.

And having her so close to him made him feel inferior – she thought that because she had won an argument just once she could yell at him? Crider frowned; two could play at this game. "And so what if I did?" He replied with a tone as strong as hers. "There's nothing wrong with that! I was just giving you my opinion!"

"Oh yeah?" She raised an eyebrow, scoffing. "Then I don't want to hear your opinions!"

His jaw dropped a bit before he continued, "You came here to _talk_ and I'm happily talking to you, now I'm not going to shut up just because you changed your mind!"

His last word echoed in the room, both of them fell silent. He was surprised the guards hadn't noticed they were arguing. And Keira was still glaring at him; Crider was doing the exact same thing. Looking into each other's eyes.

But Keira couldn't hold it any longer; she ended up smirking and almost laughing. "Really?" She asked. The man frowned and ran his tied hands through his brown hair before sighing. "You are not going to stop talking?"

His response was almost immediate, "No!"

She raised an eyebrow, leaning even closer. "Oh yeah?"

Crider grinned, "Watch me," He hissed as he moved closer to her. "_Blah, blah, blah, blah-_"

Like a flash, Keira replied. "Then I guess I'll have to shut you up."

Crider was completely caught off guard. Suddenly he was grabbed by his collar, pulled a bit upward and forced to meet the singer's face. He didn't even have time to realize what was coming next – in a fast yet soft move, his lips met with Keira's. Few seconds felt like years, something long forgotten or perhaps well hidden surfaced in Crider's heart. A warm and sweet feeling overwhelmed his chest.

He never closed his eyes, but Keira always kept her shut– afraid to see how he would react. It was about time she did this; just let him know how she really felt. What did she have to lose now? He was in jail, if he rejected her she wouldn't have to see his face everyday. And she didn't want to live having this doubt on her head.

On the other hand, Crider was still trying to take in what had just happened - Keira was kissing him; **Keira**, a young famous pop-star was literary kissing him by force. Nevertheless, that wasn't the weirdest thing going on; he was surprised of how right it felt. Crider felt amazing, he felt complete, and he felt like Keira was the thing he was missing to feel good in life. The thoughts of going back to his life as a singer always made him feel very happy, but this that he was feeling was way to different from that happy feeling – this was a state of pure bliss. His heart swelled with the realization, he really felt something more for this girl.

But he couldn't do this, he couldn't let her know this and then have her leaving – knowing Keira, Crider knew that she wouldn't be able to let it go. She would mock him or maybe respond positively to his confession and she would feel bad for him.

So he interrupted the kiss, looking into her eyes and sinking back into his chair.

He realized he couldn't do this to her, not now – not understanding what she had showed him. And even though Crider was willing to let everything go, let her think he didn't felt anything when she kissed him, he sincerely couldn't. As he faced her again, he saw the doubt in her eyes, the rising sadness that had his name all over it. Those deep blue eyes that always took the breath out of him, staring back into his and ripping his soul apart like they always did.

She was the one who started this, and he was going to finish it with a bang. Before she could even break the silence to ask what happened Crider stood up again. Pushing aside the annoyance of his handcuffs he managed to lift his arms high enough to encircle her, the cold metal of the cuff behind her neck made Keira shiver a bit, but she still smiled and the man leaned – pushing her against him with his tied hands. Their lips meeting once again. Just that this time, Crider was the one leading, he was kissing her and he felt so cheerful to feel her lips moving along with his – to feel all the care and worship that emanated from her.

And just as they were beginning to deepen their kiss, they heard the door creaking.

"_Keira_-" a girl whispered, but after that it took less than a second for the sound of running guards to fill the room.

They brusquely pulled Crider away from Keira as Tori rushed to her friend's side. Two guards were holding him back, but Crider didn't look annoyed in any way. One of them was the one who finally spoke.

"We are very sorry." One said.

"Are you hurt, Miss Keira? 4857 will learn his lesson if he harmed you."

The girl shook her head, were they blind? And even though she did felt bothered with what they had just done, she knew she couldn't complain – she had come to visit Crider, not date him or anything like that. She didn't know the rules but it was obvious that if she protested they would be the ones to be right. "I'm fine," She said, offering them a small smile in return. "Thanks." Not to mention that the storm of new emotions had taken a toll on her mood.

Crider didn't even dare to say anything, even when his luck seemed to be changing he didn't wanted to push it too hard. As far as he knew, those guards could accuse him of trying something else with Keira – and he really wanted her to come back.

Tori cleared her throat, "We must be going," She said as she took Keira by the arm, "Thanks for everything."

"It was a pleasure, Your Highness." The guards replied.

But Keira was not ready to go yet, so she pulled away from Tori and walked to where the guards were holding Crider by the arms. She smiled at them, and walked closer to the inmate. Before anyone could stop her, Keira rapidly pressed her lips against his.

"I'll be back, I promise." She whispered, and she finally left the room after the Princess.

Both guards chuckled, but he just stopped caring. He wasn't the same man, he didn't care about his reputation, or his fame or money – he discovered something far more valuable than any of those things. He smiled to himself, wholesome delight inside of him. He didn't like Keira, he never did – he loved her, he always did. And it took him a month away from her to realize how very in love he was.

* * *

Author's Note:

I'm alive, FanFiction!

Anyways, a couple of weeks ago I watched Barbie's newest movie - The Princess and the Popstar - and like CleoCorinne, I also think Keira and Crider would make a perfect couple. Love doesn't have age, you know. And she turned 16 this week so this was my birthday present for her!

Happy Birthday Ceci!


End file.
